This invention relates to bruxism measurement devices and more particularly to an intraoral appliance for quantifying the extent of wear due to the grinding action of teeth.
Bruxism has generally been defined as the nonfunctional clenching, grinding, gritting, gnashing, and clicking of the teeth. Bruxism can occur while a person is awake or asleep. When the phenomenon occurs during sleep, it is called nocturnal bruxism. Even when it occurs during waking hours, the bruxist is often not conscious of the activity. Biting force exerted during bruxism often significantly exceeds peak biting force exerted during normal chewing. Biting forces exceeding 700 pounds have been measured during bruxing events. Chronic bruxism may result in musculoskeletal pain, headaches, and damage to the teeth and/or the temporomandibular joint.
The symptoms of bruxism include: clicking or grinding noises detected by a sleeping partner, wear facets on a bruxist's tooth surfaces, jaw pain, headaches, damage to teeth or dental work, and over development of the jaw muscles. When bruxism is severe, it may be accurately diagnosed by the presence of jaw pain and over development of the jaw muscles. When bruxism is less severe, it may be difficult to diagnose. For example, wear facets are often detected by a dentist during a dental examination, but may have resulted from bruxing during a previous period of the patient's life. Because nocturnal bruxism is a subconscious activity, bruxists may not be aware of their bruxing and may not believe that they brux even when presented with strong circumstantial evidence.
The primary treatment for nocturnal bruxism is the use of intraoral occlusal splints or "mouth guards," which are generally semi-rigid plastic covers for the upper or lower teeth. Occlusal splints are generally fabricated for a specific individual from an impression taken of the individual's teeth. While the splints protect the teeth from wear due to bruxism, research indicates that they may exacerbate or reduce the bruxism itself depending on the particularities of the situation.
Occlusal splints are relatively expensive sometimes costing a bruxist more than $500. Occlusal splints also present numerous inconveniences to the user. They require frequent cleaning, are difficult to clean, require periodic replacement, inhibit speech, and are frequently lost. For couples sleeping together, occlusal splints are far from romantic. Some users perceive that occlusal splints accelerate tooth decay. As a result of these and other perceived disadvantages, without compelling evidence of current bruxism, dentists and patients are reluctant to procure an occlusal splint.
It is the object of this invention to provide an incontrovertible, inexpensive, and convenient means for measuring the severity of bruxism.